WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2007 | OPINION | WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 5
Opinion
90
GUEST COLUMN
Government shouldn't control public's intake of profanity
In the ongoing profanity battle between the FCC and Corporate- TV-USA, FOX recently scored ground: Fleeting expletives are F***ing-OK. With the ruling came a sigh of relief from the once vulgar Cher, Nicole Richie, and yes, Dick Cheney. But the decision
is already in the process of an appeal.
the process of an appeal.
I grew up with essentially profanity-free programming,
jaded only by the words behind the bleeps of
the Jerry Springer
Show, but
Although the freedom of expression is explicitly protected in the Constitution the government has consistently approved its limitations. The lynch pin in this idle prattle is deciding when profanity becomes obscene.
I wasn't a better person because of my ignorance. I still embarrassed my parents, got spanked, and hated my sisters.
A commentator once noted that, "[a person]...with four lifetimes and a burning desire to find out whether he may scream 'Fuck!' in a crowded theater will come away in confusion if he looks for his answers in the opinions of the Supreme Court."
Although the freedom of expression is explicitly protected in the Constitution - the government has consistently approved its limitations. The lynch pin in this idle prattle is deciding when profanity becomes obscene.
Linguists have consistently supported the categorical conception of "fuck," dividing its connotations into two camps: "Fuck" as a verb literally meaning to conjugate and "fuck" as a substitutive word in phrases designed to have "offensive force." Because of its connotative versatility, its meaning can vary depending on the person,
situation or physical context of its utterance. The fact that "fuck" can be substituted for God or hell, shows that the evolution of this word has lost all intrinsic denotative and connotative value.
In the 1950s, the FCC declared that in order for profanities to
be considered obscene,they must allude to "excretory organs and prurient interests." This standard held precedent for many years,even as far as 2004 when Bono stood before the Golden Globes and received the statuette for best original song by exclaiming "...this
is really, really fucking brilliant! "
After this incident, the FCC rewrote regulations on "fuck," that, in their new definition intrinsically connotes sexual imagery effectively using soap to wash out the mouth of television.
the mouth of television.
However, in an earlier case, Miller v. California, courts ruled that profanities must meet 3 standards to be considered obscene: 1) A reasonable person using community standards would consider the utterance to have prurient interests. 2)
change dramatically if it HAD met these standards, and frankly I'd be concerned for the statuette if it did.
In Cohen v. California, a man bearing a "Fuck the Draft" jacket was arrested for walking through a court-house. The Supreme Court overturned his conviction and said if people didn't agree with the message, they could avert their eyes. They also said that profanities, many times, have emotive value -- important in generating audience response.
It must depict or describe sexual conduct. 3) And it, as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. What Bono meant when he said, holding up that award, "...this is really, really fucking brilliant!..." would
I say, shielding viewers from such programming is unnecessary. Simply because a show is profane doesn't mean it has persuasive powers on the feeble minded. I got a good kick out of Maury Povich, but I never wanted to fight a dwarf or marry a goat. And at the end of the day, Cain killed Abel LONG before there was television.
Concerned parents are trying to protect their children as long as possible from those who take up precious air to execute all over the
Simply because a show is profane doesn't mean it has persuasive powers on the feeble minded. I got a good kick out of Maury Povich, but I never wanted to fight a dwarf or marry a goat.
NOT the responsibility of Congress to make sure that all humans are afforded "Life, Liberty, and the Freedom from Swear Words."
free-world. While this is an understand able request, I think the reins of THIS horse should be put in the palms of the parents to decide what their children can and cannot watch. It is
Taylor Miller Colby junior
FREE FOR ALL
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. And please, people, speak clearly.
eyes didn't match each other, so I couldn't look at her in the eye. I'm a pirate, so I offered he "Could
We are hanging out at a fraternity, and there are more girls here than guys. How do you feel about that, Free-for-All? How do you feel about that? Amen
Call 864-0500
What? Oh. (Laughter)
--eyes didn't match each other, so I couldn't look at her in the eye. I'm a pirate, so I offered he "Could
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Cats fly in the springtime, pigs don't. But they eat sharks.
Hey, I am a KU alum and I love KU. I'm in Nashville now, and I just saw Princess Googley-eyes, and she was so hot, except her
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eyes didn't match each other, so I couldn't look at her in the eye. I'm a pirate, so I offered he "Could
you put an eyepatch on, and I can just look at one of your eyes?" And she was like, "No." But I gave her some shots of rum and she said, "Yes." And then we got married and got famous.
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back
Hey parking apartment..parking...what, bleh, bleh. Let me call
Hey parking department nazis, what's the point of having an online appeal form for tickets if you never approve the appeal? Every time I get a ticket and appeal, it never gets upheld. It seems like a conflict of interest that the parking department itself is the one that gets to decide if my appeal
is upheld.
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Free-for-All, oh my God. My roommate just cheated on her boyfriend with, eww. Eww! I just had to tell someone because,
ewww. Ewww!
name.
The song, "A Horse with No Name" might just be my favorite song, but if my neighbor doesn't stop blaring it at the top of the speaker volume, it won't be my favorite song for much longer, and he will be a person with no
WOICE E WOICE.
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